The classical performance series, Crown Princes on Stage, which aims to showcase fresh, Hungarian classical music talents, has reached its final concert this year.
Before the final performance, though, three of the four “crown princes”, violinist Kristóf Baráti, pianist Balázs Fülei and cellist István Várdai spoke to us about the lives of young classical musicians in today’s Budapest, and their forthcoming chamber concert on April 26th. Hungary seems to be having something of a golden age at the moment with many young musicians making an impression. Is it the education system or is something else happening? BF: Both. I think we can all agree that we’re lucky to have studied in Hungary. It is really true that we’re in Kodaly’s country, where it’s more common for children to play a musical instrument than in other countries. It is partly education, partly the way of looking at music, which seems to be very important, yet natural here in Hungary. But, of course, this wouldn’t be enough; we all inherited talent, without which you can’t become an artist. And, most importantly, we’ve worked very hard throughout our lives to get where we are right now.
KB: My story is a little different, since I spent part of my childhood in Venezuela, and after studying here, in Budapest, I also studied in Paris. Still, wherever I lived, this Hungarian way of looking at music was essential in my life.
Looking at some of your CVs, there is a glittering array of prizes. Competitions may be useful to get yourself noticed but are they not an unwanted distraction during study?
IV: On the contrary! I think we can all say that the most fruitful periods of practicing are the ones when we practice for competitions. You become very focused and effective. At a competition, you learn things you cannot elsewhere: how to stay relaxed and do your best under a lot of stress, how to handle both the jury and the audience, these are all important when giving a concert, too. Whether you like competitions or not, depends on your personality. I, for example, have never liked them, but everybody agrees that it’s beneficial in the long run.
An all French and all 20th century program is unusual. Are audiences and managements too conservative in Hungary? Is there too strong a focus on the Austro-German tradition?
BF: Oh, I think there is a need for all kinds of music on the classical scene, too. Some people like more traditional, melodious music, but there is a strong “subculture” of those who will be more interested in our program. I think quite a few will come to the concert to listen to, for example, the Messiaen quartet, which can’t be heard every night. When compiling the program, it was an aim of ours to play pieces that are not that well-known.
Do you have plans to record in the near future? (I was thinking of the Dohnanyi sonata from your last performance – a new recording is badly needed).
KB (laughing): We have lots of recording plans, of course! We’re lucky, though: an album on which I play all the partitas by Bach has just been released, which is my second after a Paganini-album. István’s first solo album is also in the stores, and Gábor Farkas, who is not here now, played Liszt on his record, so we can’t complain. But if you have a good contract with a publishing company, don’t hesitate to contact our impresario, and we can come to an agreement!
IV: To be a bit more serious, it’s not only our will that makes a record, rather the will of the publisher. Nowadays, it’s very difficult to get a contract, even if you have sponsors at your back.
Chamber music is sometimes a casualty when players are pursuing a concert career. Are you planning to work together in the longer term?
IV: I’ve been working with Balázs for almost five years now, and it’s a very fruitful relationship – I think we’re already in the longer term. We played together at the Academy, during chamber music classes, and since then, we’ve won competitions and played in many concerts together, and I’m thankful for this relationship. I began working with Kristóf a little later, after he came back from Paris around three years ago, but as long as we enjoy working together, and we do, we will try to work together as much as possible.
KB: We shouldn’t forget about the fourth “crown prince” of Starlet Music Management, Gábor Farkas. In the latest concert of the series, Crown Princes on Stage, I played sonatas with him, and enjoyed this work a lot. I’m also looking forward to working with all the other three musicians in the future.
Read Paul’s review of the previous March 2nd performance (from pianist Gabor Farkas and violinist Kristóf Baráti), here.
Upcoming:
April 26th, 7:30 p.m.
Kristóf Baráti, István Várdai, Balázs Fülei and Kálmán Berkes.
www.starlet.hu